You could lead a dragon to water, but you couldn't make it take a bath if it really didn't want to, so Tal didn't push any further. He'd made his offer and the rest was up to Soh. He knew a thing or two about wrestling with frustrations that he couldn't quite admit to his closest friends; things that were too personal, or too painful, or just too embarrassing to tell another living soul.
At least not while sober.
So he changed the subject, grinning in complete understanding of having a part of his soul that lived for mischief and bringing a little extra chaos into his life in the most joyful way possible. "Yeah, that's the way it is. I guess some people have companions who're well-behaved? Anju does, at least. But, well... you've met Boreal," he pointed out, laughter in his voice. "So y'can't say y'weren't warned!"
And then they were off, trying not to trip in the tall grass of the meadow as they got their kites in the air with a little trial and error and were able to come to a stop and let the wind do the work. Tal tugged gently at his string, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he worked on remembering how to make it dance without spilling it out of the sky. "Mmmm... kind of?" His upward gaze was intent on the angle of his kite as he worked it through a few dips and rises, its tail fluttering behind it like a snake's. "But not really? In a skyboat you're usually tackin' into th'wind, zig-zaggin' from side-t'side t'keep th'sails fillled. Flyin' a kite's just..." He took a hand off his control stick to wave expansively and then hurried to grab it again as the string began to unwind willy-nilly. "Ah, fuck. It's just bein' pushed downwind."
He glanced over to see how Soh's kite was faring under the Heart's gentle touch. "Did y'ever get t'do this when you were a kid? With your guardian?"
At least not while sober.
So he changed the subject, grinning in complete understanding of having a part of his soul that lived for mischief and bringing a little extra chaos into his life in the most joyful way possible. "Yeah, that's the way it is. I guess some people have companions who're well-behaved? Anju does, at least. But, well... you've met Boreal," he pointed out, laughter in his voice. "So y'can't say y'weren't warned!"
And then they were off, trying not to trip in the tall grass of the meadow as they got their kites in the air with a little trial and error and were able to come to a stop and let the wind do the work. Tal tugged gently at his string, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he worked on remembering how to make it dance without spilling it out of the sky. "Mmmm... kind of?" His upward gaze was intent on the angle of his kite as he worked it through a few dips and rises, its tail fluttering behind it like a snake's. "But not really? In a skyboat you're usually tackin' into th'wind, zig-zaggin' from side-t'side t'keep th'sails fillled. Flyin' a kite's just..." He took a hand off his control stick to wave expansively and then hurried to grab it again as the string began to unwind willy-nilly. "Ah, fuck. It's just bein' pushed downwind."
He glanced over to see how Soh's kite was faring under the Heart's gentle touch. "Did y'ever get t'do this when you were a kid? With your guardian?"
